Southern Withdrawals

Here I am at home pining for the river. Sure do miss it all. 

I brought a bag of Satsumas home; but the three above are dried from Darlene's tree. I've been drying them in the sun, rotating and such. Each time I glance at them, I think of her.

The teenager stayed a couple of extra days with me after the others left for home. He has a grueling class load coming up before graduation. Twenty-one credits. Ouch. So this was a well-needed break before the storm.

One morning I woke up to find a beach across the river. I knew it was quite shallow on the bank there, but I had not seen the water so low. Ever-changing river. Love it.

The Women Folk of Fish River went on a treasure & trash hunt to the local thrift shops one day. (I'm going to start a blog one day from down there, I swear! "WFFR," coming soon to a screen near you. ha.)  Anyhoo, our day began when we spied this hawk with some fresh nibbles on top of a building. (Hi Johnny!) Stupendous.

Of course, we had to have our own nibbles. Linda had suggested the Dragonfly Foodbar; neither Dar or I had been there.

Linda knows her stuff. She had a bowl of noodles; and both Dar and I ordered the taco special. Oh my. It was wonderful. Miss those two. It was such a wonderful visit with both my river "girls."

New Year's Day, we were all invited to Darlene's for supper. Of course, black eyed peas, hoppin' John and greens were served (in addition to the best tiramisu I have ever had made by Linda). Dar passed out little reloved gifts. She is just the best. Only Dar. She found these gnome faery lights for me! Vintage to boot! Oh, Darlene.

Ok, now that I have that out of my system, perhaps I can get something done around this house. Ya think? Brahawahahaa! NOT!

PS Happy Ukie Christmas. My Ukie Santa is out of town, so not much going on here.

Let's Try Scones Instead

. . . of the strudel. After taking another look at the "Easy" strudel recipe, I kept leafing through the Cook's Baking Illustrated cookbook until something a tad easier hit me! Blueberry/Lemon Cream Scones.

Ok, perhaps I'm really not baking "challenged." Let's say I'm baking jinxed! Granted, this Cuisinart was a wedding gift twenty odd years ago and I knew it had some pieces broken on it; but I have always made it work before. Geeeesh. When I finally did get the extraordinary safety catch rigged, I suppose I didn't have the lid all the way on and flour went everywhere! tehe. I had to giggle.

And then the spatula fell apart at a crucial moment and I had to go in looking for the rubber part. Giggle, again.

But I was able to shape the loaf in a cake pan and then transfer it over to a floured spot. Miracle!

They came out of the oven looking pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! Homemade looking? Definitely!

And so after dinner, the hub, kid and I had Christmas Scones.

And I have to say, these are one of the best things I have ever baked in my life! Truthfully. (Maybe I'm just hungry.)

And you'll be proud to hear, I am officially retiring the old Cuisinart and will begin looking for a new one out there in cyberland.

My food for thought: I don't know how I'm going to lose weight this way.

xo
ro

Khristos Rodyvsya!

Happy Ukrainian Christmas!

Not being of Ukrainian descent, I waffle from year to year as to how we celebrate. Some years, it's as simple as little toys laid out for the boys. Since the teenager isn't home any longer, I didn't even do that this year. Bad married-into-Ukrainian family mother. Oh well. Whatchya gonna do.

I am, however, thinking about trying my hand at a little baking today. (Oh my, you say.) I'll keep ya posted on that. Three p.m. and I best get cooking if I'm going to. (My Christmas present to myself.)

I think the robins are migrating a little early this year. I have been putting fresh water out for them as the ground and ponds are all frozen over. It has been terribly cold here.

Except today when we got a little dusting of snow. It warmed up a tad. Why is that?

Yesterday, I received my Christmas box from my brother Jim. We're bad that way. I have yet to mail brother Johnny's gift to him! Heathens!

For the kid.

Aso included in the box was my mom's ring which my sister-in-law had repaired. If you remember, this summer I had to cut it off her finger as her arthritis had her little fingers swollen so badly. Now I have a piece of her with me all of the time. Awwww.

Bella has been curled up, keeping warm.

Too cute.

Yes, there is a nose in there somewhere hidden under the paw.

Well, if I'm going to do this, I best be getting to it. I'm thinking about making an apple strudel. Yum. Just what I need while I'm trying to begin dieting again. Joy, joy to you all.

xo
ro

Home Alone, Again

The boys headed to NYC on Friday to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas. I stayed home to keep an eye on mom not quite knowing where her head is at this time. They got lots of snow and are headed back home as we speak.

Yesterday was a nice rainy day. So I stayed in and cleaned (chased dust bunnies all over the place). I finally got the kitchen cleaned up and vacuumed the main floor and even went back under all the furniture with a swiffer. I love those things.

This is ALL of this year's Christmas decorations! I took them all down and everything fit in one little chair. So easy! Maybe I'm on to something here.

By 3:00, I was on my way to Beth's house to watch the Titan's (lose). I think I jinxed them. I'm sorry Beth. I even left during the fourth quarter to see if they could come back, but no such luck. Oh well, there's always next year. (I haven't even brought my camera in from the garage so I'll have to add a photo later tonight. I'm too lazy and tired to go out there right now. Phew. It was wonderful seeing her and her mom, Lottie. Such wonderful folks.

Today, I had my tea before I began cleaning again. I am loving this jasmine mix. Yum. But right now, I think if I put my head down on the pillow, I could fall right to sleep. I gave mom a shower and washed all her bed clothes and she is now tucked away and dreaming of Regis, I suppose. Wish I were. Well, not dreaming of Reg, of course. Ew.

The bed was full of all my junk again in the hub's absence, but Bella and I straightened that up this morning when we woke up. Guess I better get ready to go pick the boys up at the airport. They're due in at 8:30. Maybe if I lie down for just 15 minutes . . . . z z z z z z z z z

Out with the Old . . .

It was like Christmas today here at the homestead. All kinds of boxes arrived.

Since I wasn't able to find mom's Merrill's during the holidays, I finally went to one of the department stores and ordered a pair. They came in today! Since her others were so dirty looking, I thought I'd get her the darker brown. She loves them! Yay!

(Old)

Also arriving by post was my new camera. I think I may have mentioned the hub and kid bought me this fancy shcmancy Nikon for Christmas when all I wanted was an updated version of my little Sony Cyber-shot. You know me, I hate spending money on things I won't use (and since I have probably at least three nice SLRs sitting in a cabinet somewhere collecting dust), I decided to send the Nikon back and get my little point-and-shoot.

I've done the focusing and shutter speed and film speed, etc. For me, after being so involved in photography for so many years with my family in the photo biz; I gave it up so I could enjoy photographing again. I would go on vacation and agonize and fret over getting the best shot ever. Then I would go into the darkroom and do the same. Not any more. I just point and shoot, print it up on the computer. Good enough for me.

(New)

Bottom line is I love photography again. My brother Jim had bought me my first Cyber-shot several years ago and I have been addicted to it ever since. I found the love, again. It's about the size of a credit card, but thicker, of course. I can just whip it out of my purse or pocket, slide the front cover and shoot. No one even has to know I'm doing so as it fits in the palm of my hand. At any rate, yadda yadda yadda, my new one is shooting the best photos ever! My old T1 was 5.0 megapixels while the new T100 is 8.1. There is a new model on the market, the T200; but it has a touch screen back which I don't think I would like too much. I don't even like the cell phones that have that touch screen. But, the older T100 has the old push buttons which I have become accustomed to. Let me tell you, I had some searching to do to find one since it's an older model. But, where there's a will, there's a way.

This is my first test on the camera of my dashboard. (Now you know why I never answer my cell phone friends--this is where it sits, 24/7.) My "Superman" tag fell off my key chain the day Johnny was put in the hospital, unbeknownst to me--strange.

Look how great the close ups are! (You can click on photo to get full size.) Mind you, my old one did pretty darn well. I was amazed at my little silver charms in the sand a couple of posts back; but this is amazing. I did a little walkabout the house and took a couple of test shots. I am loving it! Wasn't sure I would. I'm the type that hates change. Guess we all do. But, I was certainly ready to send this one back too if I didn't like it. Grin.


I went to the tea shop down the street this morning to see if they had any little yixing cups. They had an entire set, cheap! Now I have another pot for a different type of tea. They say not to mix the teas as the flavor is absorbed in the pottery.

Speaking of tea, I think I had a little too much yesterday. I was buzzing all night, even after my head hit the pillow. Then I started worrying about everything as you do when you mind begins to run rampant. No more tea for me after 5! lol. Notice the pretty demitasse? This is from Raphael's grandfather in France. I purchased a lot of his things that were up for auction a couple of years ago. It is the perfect size cup for almost a pot of tea.

Since I couldn't turn my brain off last night, I started thinking (worrying) about Johnny in the hospital. I finally just got up and wrote his nurse an email about 2 a.m. I kept forgetting to ask if he had been put on a "liquidized" bed in order to prevent him from getting pressure sores. In years' past, you had to ask for one and then it had to be ordered. It took forever. If the nurses weren't turning the person every couple of hours, the skin could begin to break down. And let me tell you, nurses do not have the time to be turning a patient every couple of hours and some plainly chose not to. I can't help but feel that Christopher Reeve's accident and subsequent campaigning for better health care for spinal cord injury patients has helped in educating not only the lay person but the medical community as well. Bless him. Any way, sigh, my brother's nurse sent me a note back this morning that he was indeed in the right bed and reassured me that he was doing better and that he may even be off the ventilator next week! PTL! That's when I will probably make a jaunt up to DC and swoop in on him. I've even thought about taking mom up with me. But, after our last episode when I took her away from home, I think I best leave things well enough alone. God bless her.

The boys are leaving for NY tonight, heading up for Ukie Christmas (Southern style--always late). I'm going to miss all the festivities. The teenager is bellyaching, of course. Geesh, enjoy the flight up, enjoy the different scenery and enjoy seeing your grandparents! Kids! I think I will begin taking down the Christmas stuff. Yep, it's all still up. This is one of my Christmas Ukrainian egg ornaments I made many moons ago. I only have two left! Maybe I should make some more next year. Ya think?

Happy Ukrainian Christmas

Happy Ukrainian Christmas!

Just back from NY where we all (the hub's side of the family) gathered for Ukrainian Christmas (or Little Christmas, as the hub's Italian mother calls it). We left Lake Louise on Thursday and flew into NYC. The teenager met up with us there and then we made our way further upstate to the hub's parent's house.

Ukrainian Christmas falls on January 7th and it's another big feast up there. Although more time and effort is spent on Ukrainian Easter, Christmas is just as special. Over the years, as we've moved further south (and the inlaws further north), it has become harder to make it up to celebrate every occasion. For the past two years, though, the boys have had the week after Christmas off which makes it possible to enjoy Ukie Christmas with everyone.

We all (four out of the five siblings with spouses and kids--14 of us) gather at Grammy and grandpa's house (the hub's parents) who live in the Catskill Mountains of NY, about two hours outside NYC. Their house is by a beautiful lake; which this year was completely thawed. There was no snow and it was actually in the 70s(ƒ) yesterday! Amazing. It's normally in the teens or colder this time of year! Look at how green.

Grammy and grandpa hide "little" gifts for all the kids; and each one has to find theirs hidden in the downstairs. Here's Uncle G holding up one of the boys in order to reach a goody and one of the girls on the "hunt!" They always have such a fun time, and it's over lickety split! The kid received some "power"balloonss that you blow up and let loose so they fly around the room with quite an obscene noise--good for boys, not so good for dogs.

Here's my SIL's doggies, Ruby and ZuZu. Ruby has made Miss November in a special pit bull calendar this year. Even Rachel Ray suggested it for a Christmas gift (all proceeds go to the shelter) on her Christmas special. These two are the sweetest dogs you will ever meet.

And, of course, what would one of my posts be without food? You wonder why I'm so fat??? Look at all this wonderful Ukrainian food! Now you know why!

Grandpa's kitchen, in all its glory.

Ann's famous Salad, the only part that's healthy!

Holubtsi (stuffed cabbage)

Kyshka (links stuffed with pork and kasha or rice)


Kovbasa (smoked and fresh sausage)

Pyrohy (dumplings stuffed with potatoes and cheese)

Shinka (pork roast stuffed with fresh garlic cloves)

Rugelach and Bow Ties (or Angel Wings)

Goodbye to NY, once again.

It's always a treat seeing everyone; and I forget how much I miss being with them. Although it's hard saying goodbye to them, it's always good to get home. Home, sweet home. Awwwwww.

Merry Christmas everyone!